NOPI JUMPS ON NICK HOGAN CRASH WAY TOO EARLY; ILLEGAL STREET RACING DESTROYS MORE LIVES

"Timing is everything". Johnny Carson was host of NBC TV's "THE TONIGHT SHOW" for some 30 years and is a TV legend, certainly the best at the unique skills the show called for in the history of the medium, and he may very well remain #1 in the category. Carson was an auto racing fan, and even took some laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the famous "turbine car", which Parnelli Jones drove to a sixth-place finish after leading the event for 171 of the race's 200 laps, a near-victory but for a $5 broken engine bearing, at the Indy 500 in 1967. Carson, in a friendly PR stunt for Granatelli and STP, and a highly-qualified airplane pilot, hit near-140 miles per hour in only the three or four laps he took on an empty track. But Carson did his driving on a race track, not on the street. A story out of Florida which is making big news in the car world this week, and will continue to do so, involves the son of mega-millionaire wrestling entertainer Hulk Hogan, Nick Hogan (aka Nick Bollea) and a crash which was apparently Hogan's own fault, and which landed his close 22-year old Marine friend in a hospital with "critical injuries". Nick Hogan, meanwhile, was released from the same hospital after the crash with "minor" injuries.

We also mention Johnny Carson because, according to stories I have read, there was a cushion on a couch in Carson's Malibu home which had a phrase needle-pointed on it, reading: "Timing is Everything".
(Photo above -- From left, Mario Andretti, Johnny Carson, Rodger Ward and "Whooshmobile" STP-sponsored turbine car driver Parnelli Jones at the Indy Motor Speedway in May, 1967).

Friends say it was the most important lesson Carson could ever teach anyone about comedy, about life itself. And recently, NOPI, an auto parts-making company and a promoter and sanctioning body for various "tuner car" racing events such as drifting (there is a national series called "NOPIDrift"), exhibited some of the poorest timing we've ever seen in the motoring industry. One of their more popular drivers, Nick Hogan (photo), was involved recently in a terrible on-highway crash, almost definitely his own fault, a crash which critically injured this young man's close friend.

Again, a horrific wreck demonstrated to the general public that some wealthy teenagers with too much money are out of control and are engaging in "street racing" which endangers us all. Unfortunately, the truth of that statement is not too far from reality.

And what this group, NOPI (which stands for "Number One Parts, Inc."), did in trying to "get out in front" of the bad publicity which was about to hit Hogan, NOPI and their sport hard, is really unforgivable and shows a terribly naive and unprofessional side of this organization to the general public.

The day after the crash, NOPI sent out a press release to members of the motoring media worldwide which admitted that Hogan "was driving his yellow Toyota Supra when he lost control of the vehicle, causing it to jump a median and hit a palm tree. Both driver and passenger sustained serious injuries and had to be taken by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida."

We've seen, unfortunately, too many press releases detailing injuries and deaths of race car drivers, and they are always necessary tools the media can use during those terrible circumstances. But we had never seen a release quite like this one from NOPI, because it included no less than SIX photos of Hogan, his car, and him driving his car in drifting competitions with his sponsors' names showing. We thought about sending the NOPI people an e-mail questioning their use of Hogan's image, and of his car, well before any of the facts about the case had really been developed by investigators. It appeared to be a case of a corporate entity trying to somehow control the news, trying to get their "feel-good" message out ahead of the reality of the situation. Boy, were they wrong.

The release had a link to a website which promised "the most up-to-date news on this story", so we clicked on it ... And it led us to CNN's Entertainment website with a story dated August 27th (we visited the site on September 6th). The headline on the story was "Hospital Discharges Hulk Hogan's Son After Wreck" and the body of the piece went on to say, in part: "The teenage son of wrestling icon Hulk Hogan was discharged Monday from a Florida hospital after he slammed his Toyota Supra into a palm tree in a wreck local police called 'spectacular' (photo). Nick Bollea, 17, was driving at a "high rate of speed" when he wrecked Sunday evening, police say. A representative answering the patient information line at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, said Nick Bollea, 17 (photo inset, right), had been discharged. Bollea is the son of Hogan, whose real name is Terrence Bollea. Bollea's passenger in the Sunday crash, John Graziano, 22 (photo inset, left), remained in critical condition at Bayfront on Monday afternoon, said hospital spokeswoman Nancy Waite."

What's the truly important part of the story, the part which NOPI and every other entity connected to this story should be focusing on? Not the celebrity, but the dangers of street racing.

Hogan's (Bollea's) passenger, John Graziano, had returned from a tour of duty in the Marine Corps in Iraq about one year ago (though some reports said Graziano had "just returned" from Iraq, they were incorrect). In the past few days, there have been several stories coming out of that Florida hospital detailing arrests following physical confrontations between members of the Graziano family. As overcome with grief as they must be by this tragic incident, such altercations might not be totally unexpected.

Also in the days since the NOPI/CNN link has apparently "timed out", reports about Hogan's driving record have surfaced. The website THE SMOKING GUN reported, also on August 27th, "Wrestler Hulk Hogan's teenage son, who last night crashed his car while apparently racing another vehicle on a Florida street, was cited earlier this month for speeding in a construction zone while workers were present. Nick Bollea, 17, was nabbed August 10 by Pinellas Park police after his 1998 Toyota was recorded going 82 mph in a 45 mph zone. He was also cited for failing to wear a seatbelt. The infractions occurred at about 10:30 AM on a stretch of U.S. Highway 19, the heavily trafficked corridor for north-south travel in Pinellas County. According to the traffic citations, copies of which you'll find below, Bollea is scheduled to appear in a St. Petersburg court on September 10 to answer the speeding charge."

Other media reports have the young Hogan receiving as many as four speeding tickets in this, apparently his first year with a driver's license. Also, video surfaced and was shown on TMZ.com and some TV shows of Hogan doing a "burn out" in front of the trendy 'Ivy Restaurant' on Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA, in a Dodge Viper, roaring away from the establishment, while his mother looked-on from the sidewalk, laughing loudly. (Photo - Hogan's Toyota Supra wrapped around a palm tree in Florida after the young driver apparently lost control at a high speed).

What should NOPI be doing? Taking a strong, unequivocal stance AGAINST street racing of any and all kinds. Sending out messages of warning and danger to the members of the media, the same messages they should be sending to the many young people who enjoy NOPI events and may someday want to complete in NOPIDrift and other such events. Demanding and upholding strict safety policies at all of their events, staging safety clinics for all potential NOPI event participants, and offering safe street driving clinics at discounted prices through cooperation with the many driving schools across the country, perhaps one sponsored by a major domestic car-maker.

Why has the National Hot Rod Association been so successful through the more than 50 years in existence? Because under all the excitement there always was a strong message of 'SAFETY' which NHRA promoted heavily, a message originally developed by NHRA founder and long-time President Wally Parks and the group's other organizers. The "NHRA Safety Safari", a group of safety and medical workers with a strong presence at every major NHRA event from its earliest days, let the public know that first and foremost, safety was a major consideration of the sanctioning body and promoter.

For instance, George Hurst, who helped develop high-performance specialty cars such as the famed "Hurst-Oldsmobile" is best-known, and known to almost every American, as the inventor of the Hurst "Jaws of Life" Safety Tool used by fire and police department worldwide to cut victims out of wrecked vehicles. Hurst was widely known throughout NHRA and was a builder of race cars, too. But his SAFETY message was the one which the general public knew best. The "Hurst Shifter", a standard transmission gear shifter, was used on the original Pontiac GTO, the first time a GM product had ever promoted a product made by another company, but the average American still associates the "Hurst" name with safety.

Even though it was no secret that a goodly amount of the street racing which was going on around the country since the 1950s was, in part, happening because of the celebrity of NHRA drivers and the excitement of drag racing itself, NHRA's top brass has always been able to point to their group's message of safety and being against any and all forms of street racing.

Legendary racing promoter Big Willie Robinson (photo) has spent the past 30 years of his life trying to convince  local city councils around America and around the world to donate land where "street racers" can hold safe, sane and professionally-run drag races and other events. Indeed, for several years Robinson was able to run BROTHERHOOD RACEWAY in the harbor area of Los Angeles, and is spending all his time now trying to resurrect the track and spread the ideals of the "International Brotherhood of Street Racers" around the globe.

NOPI should get themselves some smart, quality PR people (or professional firm) and learn from the positive experience of the NHRA these past 50 or so years, as well as from NASCAR, the IRL, Champ Car, Formula 1 and many other professional racing bodies. NOPI needs to learn that there's a huge difference between "PR" and "marketing", and that sometimes the best thing for any group is not having its name front-and-center when reporting on a terribly negative event connected to that group.

NOPI needs to grow up, and help give some of the young people involved now and in the future in their type of motor sport a chance to grow up, too. This one they have handled very badly.

Incidentally, there have been no more PR releases (at least that we have seen) from NOPI about this crash since that initial disastrous attempt at flagrant corporate self-promotion. I have, though, received releases about NOPI's "Drift Finals" coming up later this month in Atlanta; it seems that to NOPI, the Nick Hogan story is by now an old one they'd rather ignore.

As always, YOUR thoughts and opinions welcome.

Comments

[Dave]

The Hogans have encouraged their son to be a reckless,spoiled obnoxious brat. His passenger is in a coma, possible brain damage, unresponsive and his condition is deteriorating. I hope they are prepared to have their son pay for his actions.

[Erica]

That is exactly my feelings when I read about the accident. Street Racing is illegal. There have been many of us drivers guilty, but as you learn the dangers of a high horsepower car on the street, most people have the common sense to avoid it and take it to street night at the local track facilities. Hogan had a car above his driving level, and not enough sense or seat time to be driving it like that ANYWHERE, much less a crowded street.

Racing should be a progressive learning curve... which is why NHRA mandates a licensing procedure in cars faster than 9.99 in the 1/4 mile or over 140mph. This car could very well be in that category.

[Steve Parker]

Thanks for your thoughtful, powerful comments. While it is hard to feel sympathy at all for Nick Hogan, because he is simply the result of his parents' upbringing, he is nevertheless an adult, and a lot of people like him are on the roadways, every day and night! All Americans have got to learn that driving is NOT a right ... It is a licensed and tested privilege!

[jackpat]

Anyone who has watched the nopi supposed "racing show" must realize that the organization has no interest in any kind of real racing. It's only to let immature people ogle bikini clad women who parade on stage. I am not against beautiful women, but don't try to make it a program about racing.